Health care is certainly in the fore front of the news in northern B.C., at the moment.
First we hear the devastating and extremely worrying news for the Burns Lake community, that they will be losing all of their full-time hospital doctors at the end of April … now the Fraser Lake community have been landed with more frustrating news.
A beloved and dedicated doctor at the Fraser Lake Medical Clinic will not be having his contract renewed this April.
I would compare the news to the residents of Fraser Lake to be alike to a relationship break-up.
In this scenario, the patients of Dr. Beever are the ones being broken up with.
It is clear that many of them are finding it hard to deal with, which is completely understandable given the circumstances.
Like in a relationship or marital break-up, if one finds themselves to be the hurt party, without clear reasons or answers to the break-up, one has no closure and will find it exceedingly hard to get over it.
The stung party is left feeling extremely confused, angry, upset and in demand of answers.
Dr. Beever says he doesn’t have the answers and when I phoned Northern Health on the matter, they equally could tell me nothing other than I was correct his contract was not being renewed.
The oddest part of the decision is that they have offered him a job in both Burns Lake and Mackenzie. If he’s not allowed to continue his established position at Fraser Lake, then why is he being offered jobs elsewhere?
It seems to me that something fishy is going on…
This decision they have made will not only be affecting the medical clinic. A dentist in Fraser Lake will also be shutting up shop when Dr. Beever and his family leaves. His wife works as a hygienist there and the dentist has decided to retire, given the difficulty in finding people in the north to fill the position.
Many patients have written letters to Northern Health and Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad, but no one, to my knowledge, has yet to receive an adequate reply.
Some of these patients are losing a doctor they have had a trusted relationship with for nearly a decade. It is only fair that Northern Health come forward and explain to the public the reasons for their refusal to renew the contract of a dedicated northern doctor.
